When retired Air Force Col. William Roche returned to Assigny, France, on vacation in 1998, local residents fêted him with wine, cheese and gifts.

To the residents of Assigny, Roche — a B-17 waist gunner who crash-landed in the town after being shot down in February 1945 — was a hero and celebrity.

A couple that married the night his plane crashed showed up to reunite with Roche.

A man brought an oxygen bottle he’d pulled from the plane’s wreckage and asked Roche to autograph it.

Roche figured he’d experienced the extent of the French people’s gratitude for his service during World War II.

Not so.

In November, an honorary French consul from Denver awarded Roche and two other Colorado veterans — retired Army Lt. Col. Melvin Dunn and former Army Sgt. Stanley Bauguess — the French Legion of Honor medal at a ceremony at American Legion Post 209 in Colorado Springs.

The award, created by Napoleon in 1802 to acknowledge distinguished service, is France’s highest award and is given only to those who fight in French campaigns.

“The French are really appreciative of what the Americans did in World War II,” said Roche, an 88-year-old Colorado Springs resident. “I think the honor is really intended for the guys who died.”

Dunn was stunned to learn he’d be receiving the award, said his wife, Smiles Dunn.

“We were surprised that it came about this late, this many years after the war,” she said.

Melvin Dunn is an  89-year-old Ridgway resident who served as a B-17 navigator with the Army Air Corps.

During the war, Dunn’s aircraft was shot up over Germany and crash-landed near Reims, France.

The crew members survived and were sheltered by French resistance fighters.

“They have such strong feelings about what it took to liberate them,” Smiles said of the French. “There’s still such a strong sense of appreciation.”

Perhaps no one was as surprised to receive the award as Bauguess, an 88-year-old Colorado Springs resident.

Bauguess, a former Army medic, said he was promised the award during World War II.

He never received it and thought the French had forgotten their promise.

“They’re 67 years late putting this out,” Bauguess said.

During World War II, Roche spent several months interned with the Soviet army in Poland after the war’s end.

He eventually enrolled at the University of Kentucky and received his Air Force commission upon graduation. His military career spanned more than 32 years and included assignments in intelligence.

Dunn flew 33 combat missions during World War II.

After the war, he studied at Purdue University. He was again called to active duty in 1947. During his 24-year Air Force career, he developed and tested guided missiles and new bombers.

Bauguess served in four European campaigns during his three years in the service.

After leaving the Army, Bauguess attended the Brown Mackie School of Business in Salina, Kan. He later joined Phil Long Ford as a salesman, where he worked for 27 years.

William Roche at his Colorado Springs home in December with the French Legion of Honor medal he received Nov. 26 at a ceremony held at American Legion Post 209. Photo by ERIN PRATER/THE GAZETTE

From second from left: Retired Air Force Col. William Roche, retired Army Lt. Col. Melvin Dunn and former Army Sgt. Stanley Bauguess pose Nov. 26 at American Legion Post 209 in Colorado Springs after receiving French Legion of Honor. Bauguess said he was Photo by COURTESY PHOTO

Retired Air Force Col. William Roche Photo by COURTESY PHOTO